Only You
by Jokerfest
Summary: After playing the game Arkham City I wrote this. DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS OF THE ENDING! DO NOT FLAME ME IF YOU IGNORED THIS AND GOT ANGRY,YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. With that in mind, please enjoy the story and leave reviews,much appreciated!


**BTW DO NOT READ SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT**

**Alright so I'm writing this because Joker is my namesake. He is my one time fave villain, fave character, his voice actor Mark Hamill is my hero and I've loved Joker and Batman since I was a little kid. I thought that what happened in Arkham City was the perfect ending. If any of you have read the Killing Joke, I can only say it was even more bittersweet for me than that and something I love just as much. Ahhh, I'm getting that teary-eyed feeling just thinking too much about it. anyway, after finishing the game I decided to write something for my Clown Prince of Crime in commemoration of his all-time superior villainy, creativity and style. RIP Joker.**

**BTW DO NOT READ SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT**

**I do not own any of the characters or the song used in this fic. I'm just the writer.**

**BTW DO NOT READ SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT (IN CASE YOU WANT TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF I WARN VEHEMENTLY AGAINST CONTINUING!)**

He hadn't known the Joker. Joker had not known him. They were equals and opposites, always connecting viciously and pulling away to recover, so that once more they could do battle. He knew that Joker always had a plan C, D, and E. He knew that for every random person Joker gave a hundred dollars, there were a hundred more people he'd already killed for no money at all. The Joker knew that he never took a life and yet the wiry yet nimble clown always seemed to find creative ways to push the rule. The two knew their roles, had molded it into an art that no other could perfect.

He wasn't supposed to die.

Batman looked down at his broken archnemesis. His skin was puckered, peeling, his paper thin lips, ripped and riddled still pulled tight into a wide smile. He'd been laughing only a moment ago-perhaps...but no, that was foolish and Batman never entertained such. But he could abide such foolishness if it meant his nemesis would rise.

He thought back to hours ago when Joker had had the opportunity to unmask him. Harley had almost done it, pulled off the mask to expose his secret.

'_No one's who you think they are, my dear. Why spoil the fun?_

Joker had kept his secret intact, had shown honor in his own twisted and maniacal way. There had always been honor between the two, an unspoken line that neither had ever crossed. Joker should have had faith in that honor. If he'd had...Batman looked down at the sickened yellow eyes. He closed them.

It didn't matter, Gotham was safe.

There was a pang in his chest, one that had not even been there when Joker had silenced Talia. There was an ache, something heavy and bruising just beneath his chest, wrapping itself tightly around his throat.

At the last, Joker had lost faith, at the last the only person in all of Gotham that had had any lasting faith in him had given in to desperation and fear. He'd never wanted to see Joker that way. And when Joker had finally accepted it, had seen that there was no more hope, he'd shoved aside his fear.

_'Are you happy now?'_

His tone seemed angry. However, they both knew it was sorrow, it was defeat. Batman could not let his friend-perhaps that was the word that suited the man he'd dueled and dealt with for years-it fit better than nemesis-die with that in mind.

'_Do you want to know something funny? Even after everything you've done, I would have saved you.'_

Joker had laughed, laughed heartily. If Batman had not been trained to maintain his emotions he would have smirked.

_'That actually is...pretty funny!'_

The laughter had turned into sickening wheezes. He'd heard that sound often enough, it was the sound of failure, of finality. He'd never thought to hear it from his...friend.

Batman picked up the Joker carefully. The man had never been heavy and Batman could tell in the man's final moments he'd lost weight. He walked. Walking was mechanical, it required no thought. He did not have to think of the madness that created Titan. He did not have to contemplate the depravity that was Arkham city. He did not have to ponder on the multitude of reasons that led him to this place, to this point, where all things familiar and understood were apt to die in the dark. He walked and walked, until all too soon he approached black gates. They opened, a damn bit of difference that made _now_ an errant thought quipped before disappearing into blackness.

_'What the hell happened in there'_

And Batman found that there was so much and yet nothing he could say. He had no words, anything he could say would be futile. He wasn't even sure if what would escape would be words. He rested Joker's body on the police car, his sacrifice, and continued walking.

_Batman? What happened?_

He ignored Gordon. He needed time alone.

RIPRIPRIPRIP

_'You have one missed call. Call received three hours ago.'_

_'Only you can make this world seem right_

_Only you can make the darkness bright_

_Only you and you alone_

_can thrill me like you do_

_and fill my heart with love for only you _

A sound escaped, a half choke, a half sob. His cowl partially removed, Batman wiped at his eyes, pulled it down, and kept listening. He owed this to the Joker.

_Only you can make this change in me_

_for it's true, you are my destiny_

_When you hold my hand_

_understand the magic that you do_

_You're my dream come true_

_my one and only you_

Joker had known that Batman would win, had known that he was going to die as surely as the sun would rise over Gotham in the morning. Joker had forgiven him and allowed him peace as Batman had done for him only a few short hours before.

It seemed that the Clown Prince of Crime had gotten the jump on him one last time. Batman smiled.

He would continue to fight as his friend so encouraged him to do. And there was still so much work to be done.


End file.
